Tom Gantert, Managing Editor of Michigan Capitol Confidential [Mackinac Center]

Tom Gantert is Managing Editor of Michigan Capitol Confidential, a daily news site of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

When Gantert arrived at Capitol Confidential as Senior Capitol Correspondent in February 2010, he already had extensive experience as a journalist, having worked for more than 20 years at Michigan daily newspapers, including The Jackson Citizen Patriot, Lansing State Journal and Ann Arbor News. Gantert also served a four-month stint at USA Today as part of a Gannett Corporation loaner program. In 2008, Gantert was The Ann Arbor News writer of the year, and in September 2009, he founded Reporting Michigan, a nonprofit news Web site.

Gantert holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Michigan State University. He has two sons and lives in Jackson, Mich.

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Poor Cities Don't Equal Underfunded Public Schools

Published on Feb. 20, 2016 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Union Official Peddles False Figures in Teacher Pay Complaint

Published on Feb. 18, 2016 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Setting the Record Straight on Teacher Pay Won't 'Destroy Public Education'

Published on Feb. 15, 2016 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Historic District Horror Stories

Published on Feb. 15, 2016 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Detroit Classrooms Are Not Overcrowded

Published on Feb. 9, 2016 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

School District Thwarts Transparency With Unnecessary Costs

Published on Feb. 4, 2016 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

School District Used Second-Graders to Urge Tax Vote

Published on Feb. 3, 2016 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Debate Rages Over How Often Government Pushes For A 'Yes' Vote on Tax Hikes

Published on Jan. 28, 2016 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Whistleblowers Allege Police Pension Spiking Scheme

Published on Jan. 26, 2016 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

How the Flint Water Story Was Uncovered

Published on Jan. 20, 2016 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Money, Not Governance, Appears Main Focus of New Detroit School Proposal

Published on Jan. 15, 2016 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

City: Vote 'Yes' On Tax Hike or You May Die

Published on Jan. 14, 2016 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Detroit School Bailout Jeopardized by Teacher Sickouts

Published on Jan. 13, 2016 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

State Legislature Looking to Address Detroit School Sickouts

Published on Jan. 11, 2016 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Union Activists Protest Opposition to Coerced Union Dues

Published on Jan. 8, 2016 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

New Taxpayer-Funded Electioneering Restrictions Anger Local Government Tax Hikers

Published on Jan. 7, 2016 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Michigan Economy No Longer Dependent on Auto Industry

Published on Jan. 6, 2016 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Schools and Locals Electioneer for Tax Hikes, State Nods

Published on Jan. 4, 2016 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Less Than Half of Students 'Proficient,' but 97 Percent of Teachers Rated 'Effective' or Better

Published on Dec. 30, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

House Democrats Oppose 'Trapping' Detroit Students in Non-Union Schools

Published on Dec. 29, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Union Posts Names of Non-Members, Urges Shunning

Published on Dec. 28, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Why Do These Top-Ranked Schools Have Zero Top-Ranked Teachers?

Published on Dec. 22, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Use Taxpayer Money to Call for Higher Taxes? Not Within Two Months of the Vote

Published on Dec. 18, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Teachers in 'Worst Urban District' Twice as Likely to be Rated 'Highly Effective'

Published on Dec. 16, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Blame Engler, Granholm and Snyder for Detroit Public Schools Financial Woes?

Published on Dec. 15, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Michigan's Two Teachers Unions Down Tens of Thousands of Members

Published on Dec. 14, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

An $84 Million Tax Break to Pfizer and Not Even a T-Shirt for Ann Arbor

Published on Dec. 10, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Oil Boom on Private Land Contributes to Low Gas Prices

Published on Dec. 8, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Teacher Union Executives Get Double-Digit Raises While Liabilities Skyrocket

Published on Dec. 7, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Michigan Education Association Retirement Costs Skyrocket in 2015

Published on Dec. 3, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Feeling Lucky? State-Run Gambling Hits Record High in 2014

Published on Dec. 1, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Win Money at Fantasy Sports, Go to Jail

Published on Nov. 30, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Detroit Taking Drastic Actions to Curb Students Missing School

Published on Nov. 25, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Detroit Students Missed 1.5 Million Days of School Last Year

Published on Nov. 24, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Detroit Public Schools Bankruptcy Could Cost the State $3.4 Billion

Published on Nov. 23, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Money Rolling Into Lansing from State License Plate Tax

Published on Nov. 18, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Worker Bullied as UAW Publicizes His Opt-out

Published on Nov. 13, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Hillary Clinton Dead Wrong: Charter Schools Must and Do Take 'Hardest to Teach'

Published on Nov. 11, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Two Cities, One Finance Director — For Over $200,000

Published on Nov. 11, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Hillary Has It Wrong: Low Income City Doesn't Mean Low Income Schools

Published on Nov. 10, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Michigan Home Price Rise Among Fastest in the Nation

Published on Nov. 5, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

I Pledge Allegiance to the Union ...

Published on Nov. 3, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Idea to Hike Detroit Teacher Pay Could Cost $462 Million

Published on Nov. 2, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

A Closer Look: Michigan Radio Columnist Calls for Shuttering Charter Schools

Published on Oct. 28, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Governor's Plans For Detroit Schools Allows Leader to Limit School Choice

Published on Oct. 27, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

No School Funding System Adequate to Manage Large Student Declines

Published on Oct. 26, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

How Effective Will Law Cutting Welfare for Truancy Be?

Published on Oct. 22, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Number of Michigan Welfare Recipients Declines 70 Percent

Published on Oct. 21, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Detroit Public Schools Debt Increases By $1 Million Every School Day

Published on Oct. 20, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Looming 'Teacher Shortage' Appears Largely Mythical

Published on Oct. 19, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

With Half of the Students Chronically Absent, New Truancy Law Would Strip Welfare From Families

Published on Oct. 16, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Two-Thirds of Detroit Students 'Chronically Absent'

Published on Oct. 15, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Cops Retiring in Their 40s While Pension Systems Break Cities’ Backs

Published on Oct. 14, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Some Detroit Cops Claim They Are Working 16+ Hours a Day, 365 Days a Year

Published on Oct. 12, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

School District Overspending for Last Nine Years Keeps Getting More Funding Per Pupil

Published on Oct. 7, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Even Compared to Workers With College Degrees, Teachers Are Well Paid

Published on Oct. 6, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Detroit Public Schools Takes Out a Loan to Pay Off Another Loan

Published on Oct. 5, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

State Senator Blames Public School Choice After Fight Makes News

Published on Sept. 29, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Parents Complain Students From Adjacent Districts 'Overcrowding' Their Schools

Published on Sept. 25, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Federal Money to Michigan Schools is Dropping

Published on Sept. 24, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Former Teacher Lionized by Left for Resignation Letter Omitted Key Details

Published on Sept. 23, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Number of Public School Districts in Debt At Six-Year Low

Published on Sept. 22, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Skyrocketing Pension Costs Trigger Parent Angst Over Loss of Teachers

Published on Sept. 14, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

School Pension Costs Have Increased by $622 Per Pupil

Published on Sept. 10, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Michigan's Private Sector Economy Firing on All Cylinders

Published on Sept. 9, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Detroit Police Salaries Modest, But Not Peanuts

Published on Sept. 8, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

No Raises For Ten Years? Teachers' Contract Tells a Different Story

Published on Sept. 5, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

The Worst Performing School District in the U.S. Says It Has Only One 'Ineffective' Administrator

Published on Sept. 3, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Michigan Democratic Staffer: Homeschooling Lobby 'Scary', Not Rational

Published on Sept. 2, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

State’s Faltering District Managers All Given High Rankings

Published on Sept. 1, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Michigan Leads the Country in Unemployment Recovery

Published on Aug. 31, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Superintendent Concerned Teachers Will Bolt After Pay Cuts

Published on Aug. 27, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

While Schools Ignore Merit Pay Law, State Has No Authority to Enforce It

Published on Aug. 25, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Myths and Exaggerations About Teacher Pay

Published on Aug. 24, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Michigan Education Association Has Lost 34,000 Members in Last 10 Years

Published on Aug. 21, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

'Simon Says': Teacher Union Toys with Members Wanting Out, Demands Requests Go to 'Stealth' P.O. Box

Published on Aug. 20, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Have Schools Faced 'Seemingly Permanent Funding Cuts'?

Published on Aug. 19, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Pension System Costs the Monster That Ate School Funding Increases

Published on Aug. 18, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Pension Costs Eating Up Extra School Money

Published on Aug. 17, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Teacher Quits, Rips GOP ‘Goons’ — Who Gave Her District $5.3 Million Extra Despite Fewer Students

Published on Aug. 14, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

U-M Economist Forecasts Drop In School-Aged Children To Continue 'At a Very Rapid Rate'

Published on Aug. 13, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Michigan Grapples With Fewest Number of Students In Decades

Published on Aug. 12, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

School District Gives Teachers Raises, Has Deficit, Blames State that Gave Them an Extra $5 Million

Published on Aug. 10, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

The Myth of Teacher Poverty

Published on Aug. 5, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

School District Once Gave $1 to Top Teachers; Now Spreads Merit Bonus to 99 Percent of Teachers

Published on Aug. 4, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

How Unions, Districts Hold Back Michigan's Best Teachers

Published on Aug. 4, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

No Accountability? 30 Percent of Detroit's Charter Schools Have Closed

Published on Aug. 1, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Teachers Making Over $80,000 Say They Need Second Jobs 'To Make Ends Meet'

Published on July 29, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Michigan Schools Improving Financially as Dire Predictions Shown to be False

Published on July 27, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Bipartisan Reading Bill Not Just 'Read or Flunk'

Published on July 23, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

With Right-to-Work, Employees No Longer Have to Put Up With Unions Opposed to Their Values

Published on July 22, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

National Teachers Union Boasts of Having 'Conservative' Members While Undermining Their Values

Published on July 20, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Gov. Granholm in 2009: 'Movie Studio to Create 700 Jobs;' Six Years Later - Nada

Published on July 15, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Union President Attacks School Board While They Pay Her Not to Teach

Published on July 13, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Media Echo Chamber Repeats Same Misinformation on Road Funding

Published on July 9, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Independent Union Shows Unions Can Prosper Under Right-To-Work

Published on July 8, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Number of People Collecting Unemployment in Michigan Plummets Nearly 90 Percent

Published on July 7, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

State Income Tax Also Serves as Stealth Welfare Program

Published on July 6, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

U.S. Supreme Court Accepts Case to Give 'Right-to-Work' to All Public Employees

Published on July 1, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential

New State School Super Favors Merit Pay for Teachers

Published on June 30, 2015 – Michigan Capitol Confidential